University Unions

Tots and Traditions

What could attract all students, from freshmen to seniors, out at ten o’clock,on a Thursday night? Tater tots. Not the answer you were expecting? Well, think again because Late Night Breakfast came back in full swing last week on September 14th. It’s one of the events that marks the beginning of fall for JMU, and it is a popular affair for most everyonewho is able to make it from 10 p.m. till midnight. The menu includes French toast sticks, eggs, bacon, and, of course, the terrifictots.

Late Night Breakfast is brought to JMU through theUniversity Program Board (UPB), and its members always think outside the box to choose its theme and how to make the event even better than the year before. Angelina Benedetti-Flores, a Senior Communications major and UPB member, helps plan and execute Late Night Breakfast every year. She explains that “UPB is divided into 5 various committees, and Spirit and Traditions is the one that works on planning Late Night Breakfast.” Benedetti-Flores describes their process as “brainstorming a theme or catchy tagline” and spending “various parts of our weekly meetings working on the details, such as decorations and giveaways. It is a collaborative effort from each member.”This committee works to reach every student at JMU about the event, so everyone can come and enjoy the free food.

Senior Business majorAlexis Staley says “I’ve been coming here since my freshman year with my roommate. Late Night Breakfast has become sort of a tradition to attend.” As Staley waited in a long line that was moving rapidly, she continued to say, “It’s my last year here, so it wouldn’t be right to skip this,”as she had to come from off-campus.

A fond tradition kept in the folds of the event are the dinosaur costumes. Ever since the Land Before themed-event, Benedetti-Flores says, “the dinosaur costumes have shown up at every Late Night Breakfast since.”

Late Night Breakfast keeps its beloved traditions, like the amazing tater tots, but every Late Night Breakfast has a different theme. Thismonth ‘Make a Splash’ was the theme and wave stickers were passed out to keep up with said-theme. Other fun amenities found at Late Night Breakfast were beach balls and a blown-up slide, only to be played with once food was digested, of course.

The Director of the Spirit and Traditions committee in UPB,Zeba Farha, says the process of planning this event involves the committee “sitting down and discussing the various options for themes, which is different every year because we always have new people and new ideas, which is always a great thing!” They try to come up with different themes that will collectively interest students, depending on the popular culture during that year.

Whether those came out to Late Night Breakfast for the free food or the free stuff, the event was packed and was ablast for everyone who attended. This event is another wonderful example of how UPB works hard to give students a time to relax and enjoy themselves for a little while. Keeping up with their tradition helps form comradery between the students, plus tater tots always have a way of bringing people together